By 
Entertainment Weekly and TV network the CW are testing out the future of print advertising with the introduction of digital ads in the latest issue of the news and gossip rag. Upon opening to the page featuring the ad, users are greeted with video clips from the CW’s fall lineup followed by a livestream of tweets pertaining to the shows. Upon opening the page that houses the ad, Mashable discovered a full-fledged, albeit rather limited, 3G smartphone powered by Android.
The “phone” was manufactured by Foxconn in China and appears to get its guts from the $87 ABO smartphone, including a full QWERTY keyboard. Straight off the page the phone isn’t ready for much, but with a bit of tweaking Mashable was able to place a phone call courtesy of an embedded T-Mobile SIM card as well as access some basic Android apps.
It certainly isn’t the best device on the market, and it isn’t a complete phone per se, but if you happen to pick up one of the 1,000 copies of EW to carry the new digital ads you can walk away with a new smartphone after a bit of tweaking.
[via Mashable]
So they can track your location? Creepy!
What goes on in foxconn is creepier. I don’t want to buy a phone that was made in foxconn.
So dont buy Iphone.
don’t understand. is this in a physical magazine or something? wtf O_o
Watch the video
the video isn’t embedded on the phandroid app.
yes, it is
What a useless invention. $87 wannabe phone with every magazine to add weight and higher price , and people wonder why the print is dying.
From this I see that tablets are the only way to go for magazines going forward.
I cant find anything online eccept this article and people repeating this article. Why has no one else gotten to this?
So where can I buy it?
Let’s hope someone roots it and puts a custom rom on it!
If someone buys this and tears it apart and rebuilds it with the same model they were talking about, couldn’t they operate this as a fully functioning phone? Or, more simply, could one just take the T-Mobile sim from that phone and stick it in a GNex and have free cell service? Hope someone looks into this…
I’m guessing the EW/CW worked out some type of deal with T-mobile, or it’s a prepaid sim.
This is actually one of the coolest things I’ve seen in awhile. It’s unfortunate that the 1000 copies are only being sold in NYC and LA. I would love to get my hands on one to tinker with.
Come on it’s today’s version of the singing Hallmark card
Yup… Those hallmark cards could be hacked to make free phone calls too.
I just wanna see somebody over at XDA put a custom rom on this thing.. that’ll make my day
This might be the phone that was used. The Foxconn A8000
http://www.caseswill.com/images/v/201110/foxconn-a8000-cell-phone-android-2-2-3g-3-2mega-qwerty-red-p13189522370.jpg
EDIT: I didn’t notice that they linked to it lol
Can you rifle through the magazine rack looking for one ? Or prod it to make noise with NFC or a wifi hotspot or something ?
You got Chinese phone, transmitting and fetching data making phone calls and able to transmit voice in a newspaper. You call serious security issue a “great thing” ? Nice going guys.